Support for a shoe lasting machine

ABSTRACT

A SUPPORT ENGAGEABLE WITH THE HEEL END OF A SHOE FOR SUPPORT AGAINST LASTING MEANS, THE SUPPORT, ON RETRACTION, BEING MOVED WIDTHWISE TO PERMIT THE SHOE TO DROP INTO A RECEPTACLE, AND ALSO BEING SWUNG TOWARD THE SHOE TO DEFLECT THE SHOE INTO THE RECPTACLE.

Feb. 13, 1973 GlEBEL ETAL 3,715,768

SUPPORT FOR A SHOE LAS'IING MACHINE Filed Sept. 8, 1971 4 Sheets-Shoot l Feb. 13, 1973 (3|EBEL ETAL SUPPORT FOR A SHOE LASTING MACHINE;

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 8, 1971 Feb. 13,1973 .5 mL 3,715,768

SUPPORT FOR A SHOE LASTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 8. 1971 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Feb. 13, 1973 GlEBEL ETAL SUPPORT'FOR A SHOE LASTING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet A Filed Sept. 8, 1971 SUPPORT FOR A SHOE LASTING MACHINE Gerhard Giebel, Neuenhain, Taunus, and Rudi Fichtner,

Butzbach, Hessen, Germany, assignors to USM Corporation, Flemington, NJ.

Filed Sept. 8, 1971, Ser. No. 178,766 Claims priority, application Germany, Sept. 8, 1970, P 20 44 385.0 Int. Cl. A44d 3/00 US. Cl. 12-125 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A support engageable with the heel end of a shoe for support against lasting means, the support, on retraction, being moved bodily widthwise to permit the shoe to drop into a receptacle, and also being swung toward the shoe to deflect the shoe into the receptacle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to an arrangement in a shoe lasting machine for high footwear, where a shoe is held by a heel support during a lasting operation and is subsequently released for dropping into a receptacle upon retraction of the heel-support.

Known lasting machines of the aforesaid kind for low footwear usually have a housing type substructure with a top surface inclined toward the operator, and on the upper part thereof carrying a lasting device. Lower on the inclined surface, there is usually fitted a pneumatically or hydraulically operated heel support, under which the shoe, after its release by the support, slides down at the end of the lasting operation, while the operator introduces a new shoe into the lasting device. As long as the shoe top has only a small height corresponding to ordinary low shoes, the dropping and sliding down of the shoe under the heel holder offers no difficulties. For high footwear, in particular boots, however, the heel support would have to be arranged so high above the top surface of the substructure, or respectively the top surface of the substructure would have to be brought down so low, that the operator, when grasping the shoe, would have to bend down correspondingly low resulting in unwarranted fatigue.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention, therefore, to provide an arrangement which, without hindrance of a completed shoe released by the heel holder, lets the shoe get within the reach of the operator, who at the same time inserts a new shoe into the lasting devices without having to carry out any particularly fatiguing body movements. According to the invention, this problem is solved in that the supporting part of the heel support is movable widthwise of the shoe simultaneously with retraction away from the shoe and is pivotable against the lasted shoe. Thereby, the shoe can be positively pushed to the side after its treatment in the machine and, in an advantageous manner, can fall into a shoe receptacle arranged below the heel support and laterally offset thereto. The receptacle is inclined toward the operator and thus lets the shoe slide directly to within the operators reach.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is characterized by a transverse slide guide for a. heel support carrier on the movable part of a known main cylinder for the heel support. The heel support is pivotably mounted on the carrier, additional powered cylinders being provided for the lateral movement of the heel support carrier and for the pivoting of the support. The additional powered United States Patent cylinders for the lateral moving of the heel support carrier and the pivoting of the support are advantageously operated simultaneously with the retraction actuation of the main support cylinder.

The invention will be described in greater detail below with reference to an example of construction represented in the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side view of the lower part of a toe lasting machine;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the mechanism seen in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section along line III-III in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a top view similar to FIG. 2 with a heel support in retracted position.

Referring to FIG. 1, the toe lasting machine embodying the invention has a housing type substructure 1 which, on its inclined top surface 2 carries, in known manner, a device 3 for lasting a shoe 4 which is held at the heel end by a heel support 5. The heel support 5 is mounted on a square post 7 rising from a bracket 6 fastened to the top surface 2 of the substructure. A pneumatic (or other fluid operated) positioning cylinder 10 is mounted on the post for heightwise adjustment by means of a clamp 8 and toggle 9. A piston 11 of the positioning cylinder carries a guide 12, in which a transversely running slide 13 is displaceable between stops 14 and 15. A carrying plate 16 is secured to the slide 13 and is provided with a bracket 17 carrying a fluid operated shifting cylinder 18, whose piston rod 19 is fiixed to the slide guide 12. Upon introduction of pressure medium into the cylinder 18, the carrying plate 16 is moved against the action of a return spring (not shown) toward the right as seen in FIG. 4.

The plate 16 also carries a bearing pedestal 20, on which a U-shaped lever 22 is pivoted by means of a pin 21. A shaft 23 extends between the legs of the U-shaped lever 22 and has pivoted thereon a part 24 with a supporting plate 25 advantageously consisting of flexible plastic. A cylinder 26 connected to the right-hand end of the carrying plate 16 has a piston rod 27 connected to a lever arm 28 of the U-shaped lever 22. The piston rod 27 is normally in extended position as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 but on pressurization of cylinder 26, is retracted to swing the lever 22 about the pin 21 so the supporting part 24 and supporting plate 25 is swung to the position seen in FIG. 4. The bracket 6 to the left of the heel holder 5, as seen in FIGS. 24, carries a shoe receptacle 29, which according to the inclination of the top surface 2 of the machine substructure as seen in FIG. 1 drops ofl? toward the operator and lets a shoe slide down therein within the direct reach of the operatbr.

The operation of the powered cylinders 18 and 26 are controlled by a valve 30 illustrated schematically in FIG. 3. An outlet 31 of the valve is connected to the right-hand end of the shifting cylinder 18 and the lefthand end of the pivoting cylinder 26, while a second outlet line 32 of the valve leads only to the right-hand end of the pivoting cylinder 26. In the inoperative position of the valve 30 as shown in FIG. 3, the right-hand end of the pivoting cylinder 26 is connected through line 32 to a pressure medium and holds the U-shaped lever 22 against the bearing pedestal 20 as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. At the same time the left-hand end of the pivoting cylinder 26 and the shifting cylinder 18 are vented via a throttle 33, whereby the slide 13 is held under the action of the return spring (not shown) with its stop 15 against the guide 12 (FIGS. 2 and 3). In this position, the heel support with the supporting part 24 and supporting plate 25 is moved by the positioning cylinder 10 in known manner against a shoe introduced into the pulling and lasting device 3 and holds the shoe fast in the machine during treatment. At the end of the operation, the positioning cylinder 10 with the heel support 5 moves back again. At

the same time, the valve 30 is shifted and introduces the pressure medium via line 31 to the right-hand end of the shifting cylinder 18 and to the left-hand end of the pivoting cylinder 26. The plate 16 with the parts carried by it is thus moved to the right, and the U-shaped lever 22 with the part 24 and supporting plate 25 is pivoted to the left and ejects the released shoe to the left (FIG. 4) so that it falls into the shoe receptacle 29 and slides down therein to the operator. During the pivoting out of the U-shaped lever 22, the right-hand end of the pivoting cylinder 26 is vented via another throttle 34.

The actuation of the valve 30 is only of short duration. As soon as this valve again occupies its initial position as seen in FIG. 3, under the action of a return spring 36, the carrying plate 16 is again shifted to the left and the U-shaped lever 22 pivoted back into the position according to FIGS. 2 and 3. The heel support then can be moved forward by means of the positioning cylinder against a new shoe inserted meanwhile into the device 3, while the operator removes the treated shoe from the receptacle 29.

The positioning cylinder 10 as well as the shifting cylinder 18 and the pivoting cylinder 26 can be actuated pneumatically, hydraulically, or by mechanical or electromagnetic actuation. Also the arrangement according to the invention could be reversed, so that the shoe receptacle is arranged to the right of the heel support and the carrying plate 16 is moved to the left upon actuation of the shifting cylinder 18, while the U-shaped lever 22 with supporting part 24 and supporting plate 25 is pivoted to the right without departing from the scope of the invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a shoe lasting machine; a support movable lengthwise of a shoe for advancement into engagement with the heel end of the shoe for supporting the shoe against the action of lasting means, and for retraction to release the shoe for deposition in a receptacle, and means effective during said retraction for moving the support bodily widthwise away from the shoe and for swinging the support toward the shoe to deflect the shoe into the receptacle.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the support is pivoted for swinging movements on a slide, which is movable in a guideway bodily widthwise of the shoe, said guideway being movable bodily lengthwise of the shoe.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which the move ments of the support are provided by fluid pressure operated devices.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,775,225 9/1930 Jorgensen 12-8.1 1,928,847 10/1933 Bates 12125 2,908,921 10/1959 Kant 12-1 R PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 12-1 R 

